Married For His Grandmother’s Last Wish のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 21 - チャプター 30

The next morning, Daniel did something unprecedented: he took the day off.Mira discovered this when she came downstairs to find him in the kitchen, actually cooking breakfast."Who are you and what have you done with Daniel Chen?" she asked.He looked up from the eggs he was scrambling. "I'm taking your advice. About partnership. Starting with a normal Saturday morning like normal couples have.""We're not normal.""We could pretend for a day."Mira sat at the counter, watching him work. He was surprisingly competent with a spatula. "You cook?""Eleanor taught me. She said men who can't feed themselves are helpless, and she didn't raise helpless men.""Smart woman.""The smartest." He plated the eggs and toast, setting one in front of her. "Coffee?""Please."They ate in comfortable silence. It felt strange—domestic in a way their fancy dinners and public appearances never had. Like they were actually married instead of playing at it."What do normal couples do on Saturdays?" Mira as

The media storm hit the next morning.Someone had leaked photos of Daniel and Mira at Eleanor's cabin. Intimate shots of them sitting on the dock, walking the trails, standing close together watching the sunset.The headlines were ruthless:"Chen's Secret Getaway While Company Crumbles""Billionaire Plays House While Board Demands Answers""Is Daniel Chen's Marriage Affecting His Business Judgment?"Mira found Daniel in his study, his jaw tight as he scrolled through the coverage."How did they get these photos?" she asked."Someone followed us. Or someone at the cabin tipped them off." He threw his phone down. "It doesn't matter. The damage is done.""What damage? We took one day off.""A day I should have spent managing the Marcus situation. A day the board will use as evidence that I'm distracted by my personal life.""So what? You're allowed to have a personal life.""Not when it costs the company." He stood, pacing. "The board meeting is in three hours. They're going to use this

Mira woke wrapped in Daniel's arms, momentarily disoriented by the unfamiliar room. Morning light filtered through expensive curtains, casting everything in soft gold.Daniel was already awake, watching her."How long have you been staring at me?" she asked."Not long. You make interesting faces when you sleep.""Creepy.""Observant," he corrected. "There's a difference."She started to sit up, but he pulled her back down."Stay. Just for a few more minutes.""Don't you have a company to run?""The company can wait."That was new. Three weeks ago, Daniel would have been gone before sunrise. Now he was choosing to stay in bed with her instead of rushing to the office."This is weird," Mira said."What is?""This. Us. Waking up together like an actual couple.""We are an actual couple. Legally speaking.""You know what I mean. This feels real in a way it didn't before.""Because it is real." He was quiet for a moment. "Last night, when I asked you to stay—that wasn't about convenience o

Eleanor's funeral was small and private, despite her prominence. Daniel had insisted—no media circus, no public spectacle. Just family and close friends saying goodbye.Except Daniel had no family besides his parents, who showed up looking appropriately somber but fundamentally unchanged. Mira watched them with barely concealed disgust as they played the role of grieving son and daughter-in-law."They only came for the will reading," Mrs. Kim whispered to Mira during the service. "Don't let them fool you."Mira sat beside Daniel in the front row, their bodies close but not touching. He'd been distant since Eleanor's death; polite and functional, but emotionally unreachable.He hadn't slept in his own bed since that night. Mira would hear him moving around the house at odd hours, working in his study until dawn, avoiding sleep and the grief that came with it.After the service, everyone gathered at the estate. Daniel disappeared into his study with his parents and the lawyers for the w

The news about Vanessa came exactly when they didn't need it.A society magazine ran an exclusive interview: "Vanessa Laurent Opens Up About Her Unfinished Business with Daniel Chen."Mira read it at breakfast, her coffee going cold as she scrolled through quotes designed for maximum damage."Daniel and I had something real. We were young and made mistakes, but I've always known we'd find our way back to each other eventually.""I'm not bothered by his current marriage. Sometimes people need to experience other relationships to realize what they really want.""I returned now because Eleanor's death made me realize life is too short for regrets. If there's a chance for Daniel and me, I have to take it."Daniel came downstairs to find Mira staring at her phone, her expression unreadable."What's wrong?" he asked.She handed him the phone silently.His face darkened as he read. "She's delusional.""Is she? Or is she just saying what a lot of people are thinking?""That I'd leave you for